Day 10

It always feels great to have classes cancelled. Especially now that we have to wake up early every day. I was really hoping to sleep in but my hopes were dashed when my group mates planned to discuss our Statement of Work and Work Breakdown Structure at 9 in the morning. So I woke up and prepared for the meeting, doubtful. I didn’t know whether they were already up or whether I was the only one to remember. I knocked on Joanna’s door only to find that she was asleep. Woke her up and let her wash up while I spent the time to get some desperately needed shut eye. After she was done, we called to see whether the guys were up and guess what, they weren’t. So Jo and I went to the streets behind to get cakes for breakfast. We walked back to the campus and sat at the benches at the badminton court[s] to do our work and eat while waiting for the guys to wake up. While doing so, we saw a dog [not sure what breed] looking all dirty and disheveled. Being an animal lover, it made me sad. Animals in Singapore are usually kept as pets and most I’ve seen are domesticated ones. Also, the strays back home are rarely covered in mud and stuff.

Anyway, the dog came to us and sat there watching us eat. It seemed really cute so Jo and I gave him/her cake. She ate all our [sponge] cake thingy and left the layered cake there on the floor. Yuhaw decided to ‘adopt’ the dog as a/our mascot [i’m not entirely sure what for] and gave the name Coffee [but he called it Cake in his blog. I don’t even know why.] The reason that he gave for choosing Coffee as the name was ‘because got brown and white’.

Later in the night, the whole group of us gathered at the badminton court to light up the wishing lanterns that was bought. In Singapore, in celebrations of the Mid Autumn Festival, children would be with their lanterns but I haven’t seen it here in China. Perhaps in place of that, they have their wishing lanterns let go. I remember as a kid, I’d be playing with the lantern with my parents and sister and I’d be focusing more on the candles rather than anything else. Makes me miss being a kid.

Reflection: In Singapore, I don’t exactly celebrate any other festival despite my being of mixed descent. I find it a huge loss because every culture has something to offer & I’d very much like to celebrate all the festivals in Singapore because hey, I’m entitled to. Anyway, the way the mid – autumn is celebrated here and the way it is back home is varied. I guess different lands do things differently. It could be because traditions are usually made simpler in modern countries and also because Singapore has stricter laws against certain items. Like firecrackers. [banned in 1970 due to a fire that killed 6 people]

On another topic altogether, I have a soft spot for animals. I cannot see them all thin, weary and dirty from being outside alone. To me, dogs and cats are domesticated animals and it’s hard to actually make myself believe that they can survive out in the world without an owner. I think the dogs here should be better managed like in Singapore. I know it involves a lot of money and space as compared to our country but it would mean the dogs are properly looked after. The breeds of dogs that roam the streets here don’t seem like strays at all. Yet you see them trotting without an owner. Also, keeping them would mean a cleaner environment [because they don’t defecate everywhere] and a safer space where diseases from the dogs can’t be spread as easily. The management of strays in Singapore would undoubtedly be easier to manage judging by the smaller space we have to take care of.